Am I on crack? Cute, juvenile but cute.
Chuck, thanks for the kind words (nice site BTW). Actually, with 15 years of automotive industry experience I use to write automotive articles for The New York Times and Details magazine. I have had pieces published in Automobile Magazine and Car & Driver and personally know editors from other automotive magazines of note. In sum, when it comes to cars I always know what I am talking about.
Alex, let's see, where shall I start...The readers of Automobile magazine were asked to vote for best sports sedan over $40K. Guess who won and guess which one the editors, with all their experience, picked? Maybe they are all on crack. Take a look at the issue I believe it was a month or two ago. I wrote the commentary in the magazine. Other magazine editors with whom I am familiar found your opinion humorous, to put it politely. You are apparently aware of another 4-door sedan currently for sale in the US which is more capable than the M5. Please enlighten us all. I have never spoken to an M5 owner who was "truly upset" about the level of attention his/her car received. In fact, they delight in the fact that the clueless do not know what they have disturbed and the cognoscenti, those that count, are immediately aware. Weight? It's a 4-door sedan in full compliance with US crash laws. Precisely what were you expecting?
Your opinion, to which you are fully entitled, on the looks of the Gen III Viper are subjective. As an auto enthusiast and automotive writer I tend to see cars in two dimensions: what they look like and what they are about. When I look at the SRT/10 the first thing I think about is 500HP in bright flashing lights in my head. I note that your post makes approximately five references to looks/style but none directly about performance. I was under the impression that performance was what Vipers are about. The next thing that strikes me is that this is the nameplate that in its short history has already become a performance icon by making a significant worldwide name for itself in racing. This includes crushing class wins at LeMans, possibly the toughest automotive race there is. The tradition will doubtless continue.
Beyond that I see the host of technical improvements to the car. These includes higher Hz ratings for the structure (critical to performance) and lower Cd ratings for the body, also mission critical. I also note how the mission priorities logically influenced the design. Some examples: For better aerodynamics the car uses staggered tires which help put the nose closer to the ground. Also improves mileage. More power means larger tires to put same to the pavement. Once again Dodge leads all comers. That they are run flats means that a Viper driver will not be stranded by the side of the road with a can of fix-a-flat while his/her $80K car beckons all criminals. Larger brakes require more air to cool and ventilate hence the wheel spoke pass-through design and the larger side scoop. Increased horsepower and torque mandate larger air openings at the front hence the crosshair grill is wider and the small duct on the hood of the older cars becomes a larger hood length tunnel.
The clamshell hood was a large part of the following comment from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), "the Dodge Viper, a small sports car, has the worst overall collision coverage loss experience among 1997-99 model passenger vehicles. The Viper's average loss payment per insured vehicle year, which reflects both the frequency and size of collision claims, is more than seven times the average for all cars. Average loss payments per claim exceed $26,000." It comes as no suprise to me therefore that the clamshell hood, a large part of the repair costs on the Viper, was eliminated on the SRT/10. It was only a matter of time before the insurance companies refused to insure the car, effectively ending its production. Interestingly, the Viper's designer used cutlines to make it seem as if the feature is still there.
The interior is a vast improvement over the older cars. The top mechanism on the older RT/10's was both an embarrasment on a car of any price and a leaky inconvenience at best. I understand why it had to go. I like the fact that the new top can be dropped from within the car. To accomodate the monstrous engine the sheer width of the SRT/10 is such that the crowds around the car at the NY Auto Show were shocked into silence. Only Lamborghini's Murcielago came close to the same lane-filling visual width impact. With quite possibly the most powerful HID lights ever fitted to a series production car I would hate to be the driver one of these things slithers up behind at night.
From a heritage standpoint the return to sidepipes is long overdue and Vipers without this feature are, in my opinion, less true to the original and the car that inspired it. Perhaps you will get this feature on your RT/10.
The new Viper "Looks Japanese"? Ah yes, another thinly veiled slight to the heritage of the vehicle's designer. Now that's disgusting. I can barely dignify that part of your post with a response but I do note that the SRT/10's designer was part of the team which designed the bestselling car in the land for the last few years running. Clearly he knows something.
"Everyone" loves the looks of the old Viper? Be careful. Tell me that you have never heard the expression "clown shoe" before. I personally disliked the RT/10 but loved the GTS. This is something I have heard noted by GTS owners on this board who say their preference stems from the fact that they dislike convertibles. I did not buy a GTS because other things about its construction bothered me. I will say that you are largely correct on the point of looks on the GTS' appearance. From a looks standpoint the GTS pegs the meter for MOST, myself included and is a very difficult act to follow. Time, however, marches on and so too must the GTS' design.
You are entitled to your subjective opinion of the SRT/10 but I note, factually, that the entire first year run has been sold out and the second year run is rapidly being spoken for. That sales are being made first to existing owners, of which there are thousands, while first time prospects (much like myself) are still anxiously waiting for their turn bodes well for the longevity of this limited production marque.
Sales of the older car, however, have apparently fallen off a cliff.
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